Project Guinea Pighttps://projectguineapig.wordpress.com
Sun, 09 Apr 2017 21:50:45 +0000enhourly1http://wordpress.com/https://s2.wp.com/i/buttonw-com.pngProject Guinea Pighttps://projectguineapig.wordpress.com
Relocation noticehttps://projectguineapig.wordpress.com/2011/09/06/relocation-notice/
https://projectguineapig.wordpress.com/2011/09/06/relocation-notice/#commentsTue, 06 Sep 2011 22:53:22 +0000http://projectguineapig.wordpress.com/2011/09/06/relocation-notice/]]>I just wanted to take a second to remind everyone that I have moved my blog to www.projectguineapig.net. You will have to resubscribe over there to continue receiving email notification of new posts.]]>https://projectguineapig.wordpress.com/2011/09/06/relocation-notice/feed/1projectguineapigBigger cage for a smaller mehttps://projectguineapig.wordpress.com/2011/09/04/bigger-cage-for-a-smaller-me/
https://projectguineapig.wordpress.com/2011/09/04/bigger-cage-for-a-smaller-me/#commentsSun, 04 Sep 2011 18:11:40 +0000http://projectguineapig.wordpress.com/?p=508]]>I think I have everything set up well enough to move everything over to the new site.

If you subscribed to my old blog you will have to resubscribe to the one which uses a different service for email subscriptions.

I closed all the comments to old posts on this site. All comments are open and transferred to the new site. I hope to see all of you over at my new site!

]]>https://projectguineapig.wordpress.com/2011/09/04/bigger-cage-for-a-smaller-me/feed/1projectguineapigZerohttps://projectguineapig.wordpress.com/2011/09/03/zero/
https://projectguineapig.wordpress.com/2011/09/03/zero/#commentsSat, 03 Sep 2011 14:52:18 +0000http://projectguineapig.wordpress.com/?p=458]]>Well… This week was neither good or bad. I didn’t gain or lose any weight this week. Obviously no loss is better than a gain, but it still makes me a little sad I didn’t even lose 0.2lbs. This will teach me not to go really crazy on cheat day though. I also think my body may not like heavy cream. It seems on the days I used heavy cream in something my weight barely moves. So I think I may add heavy cream to the list of stuff I plan to enjoy once I hit my goal weight and in moderation, maybe once a week, until then.

My 100 push up challenge failed miserably this week. Even though I did the first week over again this week I still could not finish day 3. In fact I did WORSE this week…

Friday Goal

Friday Actual

8

8

10

10

7

7

7

5

max (at least 10)

0

Push ups are something that I want to do anyway, but I think this program may not be a great fit for me. I am working on a new way to get to 100 push ups but haven’t finalized my plan yet. Hopefully soon I will have that plan in place though.

]]>https://projectguineapig.wordpress.com/2011/09/03/zero/feed/3projectguineapigBuilding a new cagehttps://projectguineapig.wordpress.com/2011/09/01/building-a-new-cage/
https://projectguineapig.wordpress.com/2011/09/01/building-a-new-cage/#commentsFri, 02 Sep 2011 03:29:54 +0000http://projectguineapig.wordpress.com/?p=456]]>Just a really quick update today. I’m in the process of setting up a new home for Project Guinea Pig. There are some ideas I want to do with my blog that I just can’t do on wordpress.com. I hope I can get everything up and going soon, but I have to learn a few new things to get it all put together. I will also be sharing some changes I’m making to my plan soon. It’s nothing big, but I think it will help me out a lot.]]>https://projectguineapig.wordpress.com/2011/09/01/building-a-new-cage/feed/7projectguineapigSometimes things don’t go how you expect them tohttps://projectguineapig.wordpress.com/2011/08/31/sometimes-things-dont-go-how-you-expect-them-to/
https://projectguineapig.wordpress.com/2011/08/31/sometimes-things-dont-go-how-you-expect-them-to/#commentsWed, 31 Aug 2011 11:54:52 +0000http://projectguineapig.wordpress.com/?p=449]]>If you haven’t caught on yet I am a very obsessive person and I worry A LOT! It is not uncommon for me to obsess over something I ate that I think will cause me to gain weight that day. It sucks, but it is what it is. This problem is made worse the days following cheat day. I always obsess about getting back to pre cheat day weight. Even though I already know that typically 3-4 days after cheat day I will be back to pre cheat weight, plus I will still show a loss for the week, I still obsess and drive myself crazy.

I thought that I had started to get over that bit of worry and obsession, but then this last cheat day I went all out and jumped up 7.2lbs! I know that this weight is not truly fat, but it still freaked me out. Especially since I had just dropped into the 230’s. I have been worried about wether or not I would fully recover from this last cheat day. Then Sunday night we went out with family and I decided to have an extended cheat day. I had a bacon cheese burger with onion rings and some chips and salsa. Plus I finished half of my wife’s chicken, bacon, and ranch quesadilla. Then we decided to go ahead and have some ice cream and split a pack of Reese’s peanut butter cups. I thought for sure I would have gained that day. Nope, I ended up dropping 0.4lbs! How I managed that is unknown to me, but I’ll take it!

Then Monday was a pretty good food day, but I still obsessed about wether or not I should eat more or less food than normal to speed up the recovery time. I ended up eating a pretty normal amount of food and came out with a 2.4lb loss that day. I was very pleased with that because that is the kind of loss I often see after a cheat day.

Then yesterday I introduced the almond flour bread and convinced myself that was going to cause me to not lose weight or even gain weight that day. I know it is stupid because no matter how you look at it, carbs or calories, it should not be a problem, but I still worried. I also worried about it because I put mayo and swiss on my sandwich. I shouldn’t have worried though because I used quantities I have used in the past and had no problems. Then I worried because I did not do as much walking around at work yesterday because I ended up have to drive a lot yesterday. I went home on a lunch break and had three pork chops with guacamole and sour cream on them. Again for no good reason I worried this would halt my progress. Then later that night I went to Red Robbins to work on their soda fountain. When I was done the manager offered me dinner. I had never eaten at Red Robbins before, but heard they will do their burgers protein style (lettuce bun) for you. So I got a bacon cheese burger with pepper jack cheese. It was the lettuce bun, bacon, cheese, burger, tomato, and mayo. It had a lot of mayo and I am sure the bacon was cured in tons of sugar. So to continue the theme for the day I freaked out and was sure my weight would jump up.

I almost forgot to mention. I also was freaking out because I for some reason was craving diet soda all day. I didn’t want to drink anything else! I had a big glass of diet ginger ale with breakfast and lunch (16oz each?), then a 20oz coke zero, a 12oz can of cherry coke zero, and another big glass of diet ginger ale when I got home. I had heard people report diet soda giving them trouble with weight loss so I of course worried about that. I did manage to still drink about 120oz of water though so that is good.

So after all this worry what happened?

I lost 2.2lbs!

This puts me just 2.2lbs away from pre cheat day weight! So it seems as if I worried for nothing! Now you would hope this would mean I will not worry obsessively again today… but I am sure I will… That’s just how I am until I get back to pre cheat day weight… but maybe this time will be different

Todays results from my 100 push up challenge:

Wednesday Goal

Wednesday Actual

6

6

8

8

6

6

6

6

max (at least 7)

9

I had to go work on a fountain machine in a funnel cake wagon at the Carroll county fairgrounds yesterday and took this photo.

]]>https://projectguineapig.wordpress.com/2011/08/31/sometimes-things-dont-go-how-you-expect-them-to/feed/5projectguineapigIMG_3979New additionhttps://projectguineapig.wordpress.com/2011/08/30/new-addition/
https://projectguineapig.wordpress.com/2011/08/30/new-addition/#commentsTue, 30 Aug 2011 13:24:29 +0000http://projectguineapig.wordpress.com/?p=441]]>I decided today to try adding a new food to my diet. When I was doing Atkins I was eating flax bread towards the end. This was about the time my weight started stalling and I got discouraged with counting carbs. So when I started 4HB and then decided to just do a general (very) low carb diet without counting anything I decided to stay away from flax bread. I wanted to give it another shot now that I am comfortable with how I am eating and the losses I am seeing, but after doing some research it seems that flax could be linked to prostate cancer. On top of that even though flax is high in Omega-3 it is apparently in the form of ALA and that I gather is not the form that is best used by the body. Which apparently is DHA and EPA, but I am far from knowledgeable on this topic. So I decided until further research on Omega-3s and flax can be done I would just stay clear of it.

So instead of flax bread I decided to use almond flour to make bread. I found out that my flax bread recipe can easily be made with almond flour instead of flax meal.

Nutrition comparison:

1/4 cup of almond flour (enough for one sandwich) only has 3g net carbs (6g carbs – 3g fiber), 6g protein, and if you care about this sort of thing (I don’t) 160 calories.

So the almond flour technically has more carbs, but I feel better having the almond flour that I know is good for me.

So to make some simple bread mix

1/4 cup almond or flax flour (I am sure any other type would work too)

2TBSP of fat. I used butter (I melted it in the microwave first), but will try coconut oil next time.

1tsp baking powder

1 egg

Put it in a container, preferably glass if you have it, that is the shape of a slice of bread and microwave it for about a minute and a half. When it is done pop it out and let it cool. Some recipes say this makes one slice of bread, but I found that mine was thick enough to slice in half and use as two pieces. Fill it with what ever you please. I chose some mesquite smoked pork loin I smoked this weekend, swiss cheese, spicy mustard, and mayo. It was very good and I was super pleased with how the bread turned out. The only thing I didn’t like is that I used jarred mayo that is made with soybean oil and as I general rule I try to stay far far far away from anything soy.

I don’t expect this addition to cause me any trouble, but to make sure I am going to limit myself to one sandwich a day and see how it goes.

Now go out and have yourself a sandwich!

]]>https://projectguineapig.wordpress.com/2011/08/30/new-addition/feed/2projectguineapigIMG_3970David IS Fathttps://projectguineapig.wordpress.com/2011/08/29/david-is-fat/
https://projectguineapig.wordpress.com/2011/08/29/david-is-fat/#commentsMon, 29 Aug 2011 13:43:42 +0000http://projectguineapig.wordpress.com/?p=438]]>I just wanted to take a moment and highlight someone I have been following along his journey to better health. David has type 2 diabetes and has dealt with being fat for 40 years. David also used to have to take Metformin everyday to control his blood sugar. Then David started a journey to health by living a primal lifestyle. Now David has dropped a great deal of weight, soon he may have to change his blog to David WAS Fat, and he has been slowly reducing his medication while maintaining good blood sugar levels. He has now gone an entire week with no medication at all and his blood sugar is looking great! If you get a chance jump over to his blog and catch up on what he has accomplished!

I am by no means anti modern medicine or anything like that, but I think we have to change our approach to health. We have to stop treating symptoms and start dealing with the cause of these issues. I was on two high blood pressure medications and after just three weeks on a low carbohydrate diet I HAD to get off of them because my blood pressure was dropping too low. If you look around the internet you will find MANY MANY people like me and David who dealt with the cause of an issue and not just covered up symptoms.

David has been a real inspiration to me and there are many more people out there like him.

Great job David! I look forward to watching you continue on to a happy and healthy new life!

]]>https://projectguineapig.wordpress.com/2011/08/29/david-is-fat/feed/6projectguineapig100 push ups and an unexpected losshttps://projectguineapig.wordpress.com/2011/08/29/100-push-ups-and-an-unexpected-loss/
https://projectguineapig.wordpress.com/2011/08/29/100-push-ups-and-an-unexpected-loss/#commentsMon, 29 Aug 2011 11:41:16 +0000http://projectguineapig.wordpress.com/?p=432]]>Today should have been the start of week 2 of my one hundred push ups challenge, but since I did not do week 1 day 3 perfectly I did not feel like I should move on. So I am going to repeat week 1 again to make sure I am ready for week 2. Here are my results:

Week 1 Again

Monday Goal

Monday Actual

SET 1

6

6

SET 2

6

6

SET 3

4

4

SET 4

4

4

SET 5

max (at least 5)

7

I’m glad I’m repeating this week because I still struggled with today’s sets. I think I will be ready for week 2 at the end of this week though.

Like I said last night I had a bit of an extended cheat day yesterday and it was causing me a little anxiety. However, when I weighed myself this morning I still managed a 0.4lb loss! That was a very pleasant surprise!

I still haven’t made my post why I had to stop intermittent fasting, but I still plan on doing that soon. I also plan on trying it out again soon with the modification of eating in the morning instead of the afternoon. Maybe I can sit down and post tonight about my intermittent fasting problem.

]]>https://projectguineapig.wordpress.com/2011/08/29/100-push-ups-and-an-unexpected-loss/feed/2projectguineapigExtended cheat day…https://projectguineapig.wordpress.com/2011/08/28/extended-cheat-day/
https://projectguineapig.wordpress.com/2011/08/28/extended-cheat-day/#commentsMon, 29 Aug 2011 01:47:58 +0000http://projectguineapig.wordpress.com/2011/08/28/extended-cheat-day/]]>Yesterday was cheat day and I went all out! I saw the biggest cheat day gain so far too. I jumped up 7lbs. It doesn’t worry me too much though. I know I will be back to pre cheat day weight in 3-4 days.

I did low carb all day today, but then went out to dinner with family and ate not so low carb at all! Then my wife and I decided to go ahead and have some ice cream.

The extended cheat day did however mess with my head some. I’m really working on getting myself in the right place mentally too. I am constantly battling the idea that one little deviation from my plan will cause my weight to come rushing back! I just have to remember that this journey is not just a physical one. Even if I have a week of no loss or even a small gain that is okay. Losing this weight will not be an overnight thing.

]]>https://projectguineapig.wordpress.com/2011/08/28/extended-cheat-day/feed/1projectguineapigWell hello 230s!https://projectguineapig.wordpress.com/2011/08/27/well-hello-230s/
https://projectguineapig.wordpress.com/2011/08/27/well-hello-230s/#commentsSat, 27 Aug 2011 13:53:25 +0000http://projectguineapig.wordpress.com/?p=424]]>This morning I hit 239.8lbs! Of course, being cheat day I will get above 240lbs again today, but I’m very happy that I finally hit this short term goal! I thought I was going to do it a week ago but didn’t make it. Now on to my next short term goal: hitting 229.8lbs!

I keep track of everything in excel. When I started my low carb journey I didn’t know how to do anything in excel. Now I absolutely LOVE this program! Here are a couple of screen shots of my excel workbook. I am constantly changing what I am doing with the daily data I am collecting. Sometimes having count downs to a certain weight discourages me, but sometimes it’s a real motivator. I just added a section for projected weight on certain key dates for me. I like it so far. Any time my stats becomes discouraging I just delete the thing that bothers me and find a new way to show my data that keeps me positive.

Where the graph starts it’s major ups and downs is when I started 4HB and started doing cheat days. I think even with the cheat days I seem to be losing at about the same rate as I did on Atkins. Of course, having the cheat day is far more enjoyable. I know that you can add a trend line to the graph in excel, but I am going to have to get my friend who knows more about math to come over and show me how to determine what type of trend line to use and what that actually is showing me.